Probiotics: Safety and Science

Click here to view in browser.

NIH National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health banner image
Dietary Supplement info banner image

What Are Probiotics?

Probiotics are live microorganisms (in most cases, bacteria) that are similar to beneficial microorganisms found in the human gut. They’re also called “friendly bacteria” or “good bacteria.”

 

Probiotics aren’t all alike. For example, if a specific kind of Lactobacillus helps prevent an illness, that doesn’t necessarily mean that another kind of Lactobacillus would have the same effect or that any of the Bifidobacterium probiotics would do the same thing.

 

Probiotic Products

Probiotics are showing up in many products, including health and beauty products, foods, drinks, and dietary supplements. There’s preliminary evidence that some types of probiotics may help to prevent diarrhea caused by infections or antibiotics and help with symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome. However, we don’t have definitive research proving that probiotics improve any health condition.

 

Regulation of Products

Government regulation of probiotics in the United States is complex. Depending on a probiotic product’s intended use, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) might regulate it as a dietary supplement, a food ingredient, or a drug. Many probiotics are sold as dietary supplements, which do not require FDA approval before they are marketed. Dietary supplement labels may make claims about how the product affects the structure or function of the body without FDA approval, but they cannot make health claims (claims that the product reduces the risk of a disease) without the FDA’s consent. The FDA hasn’t approved any probiotics for preventing or treating any health problem. Some experts have cautioned that the rapid growth in marketing and use of probiotics may have outpaced scientific research for many of their proposed uses and benefits.

 

If a probiotic is marketed as a drug for specific treatment of a disease or disorder in the future, it will be required to meet more stringent requirements. It must be proven safe and effective for its intended use through clinical trials and be approved by the FDA before it can be sold.

 

 

Learn more about probiotics